- Grêmio and Bolívar will battle for a place in the Round of 16
- After a thrilling first leg, everything will be decided in Brazil: the winner will face São Paulo.
Following an entertaining opening encounter, Grêmio and Bolívar will determine who advances to the Round of 16 in a second leg that promises to live up to expectations. The ‘Tricolor’ will look to turn the tie around at home and keep its continental journey alive. Last weekend, Grêmio rescued a 1-1 draw in the dying moments against Fluminense, currently fourth in the Brasileirão.
One player to keep a close eye on will be Cape Verde international Jovane Cabral, one of his national team’s standout performers at the most recent World Cup. He made his debut against Flu and provided the assist for Diego Caito’s late equalizer.
Bolívar will head into the return leg with even greater confidence after beating Real Potosí 2-1, with Dairon Asprilla once again on the scoresheet after scoring the winning goal in the first leg. São Paulo awaits the winner in the Round of 16.
Match details
Stadium: Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre
Date and kick-off time: Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
The match in numbers:
- Bolívar won two of their last three away matches in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (2W 1L in 2025), twice as many as they had recorded previously in the entire history of the competition (24 matches – 1W 6D 17L).
- Grêmio came back to win 50% of the ties in which they lost the first leg away from home in CONMEBOL competitions (8/16). The last time they advanced after doing so was against Estudiantes de La Plata in the 2018 Libertadores Round of 16: they lost 2-1 in Argentina, won 2-1 in Brazil and progressed on penalties (5-3).
- Bolívar almost doubled the number of shots (31) and expected goals (4.2 xG) recorded by any other team in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana playoffs. The three players most involved in attacking sequences were all from the Bolivian side: Robson Matheus (15), Patricio Rodríguez (13) and Carlos Melgar (11).
- Patricio Rodríguez (Bolívar) recorded four shots following a ball carry in the first leg against Grêmio, twice as many as any other player during the latest week of CONMEBOL Sudamericana action.
- Tetê (Grêmio) scored the only goal from a corner-kick situation in the first legs of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana playoffs. The Tricolor have not scored more than one goal from corners in a single continental campaign since the 2021 Sudamericana (2).
